"I worked at Guantanamo"

By GottaLaff

The following is from a diary over at Daily Kos:

I am a progressive. I voted for Obama. I believe in justice and human rights. I worked at Guantanamo. [...]

I want to start off with one of the complaints [...] that people will not vote for Obama because he has not shut down Gitmo. Again, from someone who was there, this is a very misinformed position and the reality on the ground needs to be clearly explained. [...]

So now, we get to Obama. [...]

I don't know how to convey this more strongly: There is no torture at Gitmo. No waterboarding, nothing. There was a horrible instance of abuse that occurred with one detainee early in the process, and that resulted in all new training. I am not excusing it. [...]

Gitmo will not be closed so much as it will be wound down. I had no sense that it was being wound down during the Bush years, no matter how many times Bush said he was. There is no doubt now that Obama is winding it down. [...]

Those of you who say you are not going to vote for Obama because he has not shut down Gitmo must realize, it is like saying Obama has not immediately cured my cancer. The cure cannot be immediate, without being either reckless or indifferent to human life. What matters is, is the tumor receding? And the answer to that is absolutely yes.

While Carrotmob makes some good points, I have to disagree with some of them based on what I know from my conversations with Fayiz al-Kandari's lawyer, Lt. Col. Barry Wingard.

Waterboarding is not the only form of torture. From the time Fayiz was forced on to an airplane where he had to endure wood screws piercing his scull during the 24-hour plane ride to Cuba, he has undergone terrible abuse that fits the definition of torture. I've written about this extensively.

Additionally, indefinite detention is unacceptable. There have been, and still are, hostages at Gitmo who never committed a crime, who were sold for bounty, imprisoned because of hearsay upon hearsay "evidence", and have no way to catch a break, let alone a glimpse at the classified, redacted legal exhibits that are used against them.

Barry has been there, too. And Fayiz still is. Ask them about what constitutes torture, because one of them has experienced it first hand.

And yes, I would vote for Obama again, but that doesn't mean I don't disagree with some of his choices. And I do believe he'll shut Gitmo down... eventually.

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All my previous posts on this subject matter can be found here; That link includes one specific to only Fayiz al-Kandari's story here.

Here are audio and video interviews with Lt. Col. Wingard, one by David Shuster, one by Ana Marie Cox, and more. My guest commentary at BuzzFlash is here.

Lt. Col. Barry Wingard is a military attorney who represents Fayiz Al-Kandari in the Military Commission process and in no way represents the opinions of his home state. When not on active duty, Colonel Wingard is a public defender in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

If you are inclined to help rectify these injustices: Twitterers, use the hashtag #FreeFayiz. We have organized a team to get these stories out. If you are interested in helping Fayiz out, e-mail me at The Political Carnival, address in sidebar to the right; or tweet me at @GottaLaff.

If you'd like to see other ways you can take action, go here and scroll down to the end of the article.

Then read Jane Mayer's book The Dark Side. You'll have a much greater understanding of why I post endlessly about this, and why I'm all over the CIA deception issues, too.

More of Fayiz's story here, at Answers.com.

H/t: DMiller23